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Tail Beam - Joist supported by header at both ends, from a header in a floor opening to the sill header.

Terra Cotta - A mixture of sand and baked clay commonly used to make pipe for sewage disposal systems. A mixture of sand and baked clay used to form a shingle used on certain styles of architecture.

Terrazzo - A colorful flooring material made of cement and marble chips or certain stones. After the floor has hardened it is ground and polished to a smooth and durable finish.

Thermopane - Two or more sheets of glass set apart from one another with a vacuumed space between to prevent condensation and reduce heat loss.

Thermostat - An automatic device to control heating or cooling.

Three-way Switch - Electrical switches installed in pairs to allow a light or appliance to be controlled from to locations.

Threshold - The wooden or metal strip directly beneath an exterior door. Some have an added rubber or plastic strip feature for better weatherstripping.

Throat Cut - The notch cut into rafters to allow proper seating on the plate.

Timber - Large wooden boards used in creating the structure of a wall.

Tongue and Groove - A type of wooden siding with the edge of one board fitting into the groove of the next.

Top Rail - The upper rail of the top sash of a double hung window.

Traffic Plan - A plan of room and door placement designed for convenience of movement in normal everyday activities.

Transom - A small window just above a door.

Trap - A plumbing device preventing sewage odors from entering the house.

Tread - The horizontal portion of a step, usually with a rounded edge , or 'nosing' which overhangs the riser.

Trellis - A system of horizontal joists supported on posts, designed to support growing plants.

Trimmer - Two joists or rafters spiked together and run parallel to joists or roof rafters to supply needed support to a floor, ceiling or roof opening.

Truss - A framework for supporting a roof.

Turret - A small tower, often at the corner of a building. Common in Queen Anne Styles among others. A turret is a smaller structure while a tower begins at ground level.

Unite d'Habitation - Le Corbusier's name for an ideal housing type, the multistory block including social facilities, shops, and play space contained within a single building, around what he called streets in the sky. Realized by Le Corbusier himself most famously in Marseilles, but also in Berlin and at the new town Firminy, the Unite was to prove hugely influential, far from universally socially sucessful.

V-Type Ridge Cover - A series of clay shingles used to cover the ridge pole on tile and slate roofs.

Valley - A low region on a roof between gables.

Valley Jacks - Rafters that run from the ridge rafter to the valley rafter.

Valley Rafter - The rafter under the valley proper.

Veneer - A thin facing of finishing material

Veneer Wall - The covering of one wall construction by a second material to enhance wall beauty. (Brick or stone over frame, brick or stone over concrete bloc.

Vent Stack - A metal, plastic or composite pipe (usually 4 inch in diameter) leading from the sewage network out through the roof to prevent pressures during sewage flow.

Vinyl - A synthetic type of siding used for its economic value and durability.